COUNTY COUNCIL.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 318, 29 June 1889, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL.

The above met yesterday afternoon. Present 1 Crs Clark (chairman), Stubbs, Murphy, Gray, King, Tuohy, and Wetherad. D. Malone wrote, “ I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, re abandoning my contract. I should be very sorry not to be able to carry out any contract that I had made with the Council, as I have always endeavored to give satisfaction. It is impossible, without cutting up the roads, to go on with the work during the present wet weather, and I offer to the Council the following terms and trust they will be accepted, The contract to stop till the Engineer gives me instruction to resume work, The Council to pay for work done less 25 per cent., which they will keep in hand till finished, the Council to remit the penalty for overtime. I would remark that all the stone ia quarried, and that when tho Council sent the letter there were only five days over contract time. Of coursel stopped carting when the Council wrote.”

In regard to the above Mr Bennett, one of the sureties, waited on the Council and said he was agreeable to the proposition. Ur King proposed and Or Stubbs seconded, that the contract be deferred till spring, and be started again when the Engineer ordered. Cr Gray objected to the motion. The Council should not let any contractor off so lightly. They should not play fast and loose with contracts in this manner. When agreements were made, the Council should abide by them. The Chairman agreed with the last speaker, but he considered if the contract was carried on in the wet weather it would cost the Council more in repairs to the road than it would by allowing the contract to stand over for a while.

Cr Stubbs said the Council did not want to make any money out of the sureties by enforcing the penalties. # The motion was carried, the question of penalty not to be affected thereby. The Council agreed to send notices to the sureties of the Dog Tax Collectors, elating that if the balance of £36 10s, due on dog collars, was not paid before next meeting a summons would be immediately issued. The Clerk stated that Hills had appropriated some of the money collected, in buying horses for himself. Hills had horses now in hie possession, and he (the Clerk) thought the Council should first sue Hills. E. Cameron wrote asking the Council to have some wheat or barley crushed and poisoned for distribution amongst the farms ns a preventive of the great amount of destruction done by the small birds. Cr Tuohy said it was a very poor farm that could not afford to supply poison tor its own use.—Letter acknowledged. A, Devery wrote drawing attention to the resolution of the Gisborne Licensing Committee to the effect that they would recommend the Council to allow him £2O per annum for the maintenance of the Kaiteratahi ferry, which now required not only boat attendance, but also piloting horseman and drivers of vehicles across the ford, thereby necessitating his keeping a competent person in constant Waiting. He hoped that tho resolution of the Committee would moot with the favorable consideration ef the Council, The Licensing Committee's recommendation was also read. The Council decided not to altar the present arrangement with Mr Dsvery, Samuel Eviuson, of the Royal Oak Hotel, wrote stating that he was unable to renew his license, and asked that the £l2 which ho had deposited with tho Treasurer should be refunded, Cr Stubbs moved, and Cr King seconded, that the money be refunded.—Carried. Cr Tuohy said he would not like to see £lOO9 worth of property stand idle just for want of £l3. Cr Stubbs: The Council is not able to give time in these matters. Will you pay the balance of the license ? Cr Tuohy (to the Clerk): After the meeting I will give you a cheque for Hie amount. The Clerk said that be had informed Mr Scrivener that Mr Evinson had paid £l2 and that there was a balance of £l3 still due on the license.

The Council did not think they could safely accept the offer made by Mr Tuohy, but they decided to give Mr Scrivener till Monday morning to pay the full license fee. The Engineer reported that the road from Mangapapa was in a very bad state owing to the contractor taking too heavy loads when carting metal. He asked the Council to allow him permission to give effect to the by-law, especially on this road. Mr O'Neill said that he had now about three weeks’ work for the Whataupoko Road Board, and he was willing, before carting any more gravel, to metal the road, and fill in the ruts, and when the contract was completed he would put the load in good repair. The Engineer said it would be a great advantage if Mr O'Neil would carry out his proposition, Mr O’Neil said he was quite prepared to sign an agreement with the Council.— Agreed to. TEKDEBS. The following tenders were received for making approach to Kaiteratahi ford :—A. Devery £l5 10s, Bell and Blain £l6, D. Malone £27, J. Mclntosh £22 7s 6d, D. F. Courtney (accepted) £ll 19s, A. Weston £l9 10s, T. Corcoran £l9. FATMESTS. The following accounts were passed :— Waimata Road Board £3O, Jones and O'Donnell £7O 15s 2d, D. Malone £3B is 31, Taylor and Brownlow £l2 12s, Taylor and Barrington £lO 3s, G. Moore £4 18s, A. Olsen £ll 6s lOd, J. Mclntosh £3O, T. Butler £2O, D. Quinn £lB 16s, E. O’Dwyer £26, Bidgood and Burke £3O 12s 61, Jones and O'Donnell £2lloa, J. Wall £7 12a, R. Knox £35 17s, T. Brown £l2, Engineer’s sundries £2*Bs, A. J. O'Neil £lO6 15a, 8. Stevenson £2 2s, A, Muir £2 18s 9d, D. Malone £3 Is, Lyon and Blair £3 ss, Salaries £57 Is 83, W. J. Moeaman £B 14s.

The Engineer was instructed to employ labor on maintenance contracts on which the contractors were neglecting the work. With reference to Courtney’s tender for the Kaiteratahi crossing, it was agreed that if he did not take up the contract it should be given to tho next lowest tenderer. It was decided to write to the rangor, informing him that complaints had been made about the number of animals that are to be found straying on tho County roads, and requesting him to be more attentive to his duties.